Chrysanthemum plant named &#39;athena&#39;

ABSTRACT

A chrysanthemum plant named ‘Athena’ characterized by its medium sized blooms with pink ray florets and prolific branching; natural season flower date September 15-20; blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

‘Athena’ is a product of a breeding and selection program for outdoor pot mums (garden mums) which had the objective of creating new chrysanthemum cultivars with a decorative type flower, a natural season flower date around September 15-20; blooming for a period of 5 weeks. The new plant of the present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant ‘Athena’ is a seedling resulting from the open pollination among groups of chrysanthemum cultivars maintained under the control of the inventor for breeding purposes. The new and distinct cultivar was discovered and selected as one flowering plant by Mark Roland Boeder on a cultivated field in Rijsenhout Holland in September 2001. The plant has been asexually reproduced by cuttings in greenhouses at Rijsenhout Holland. The new cultivar has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention of a new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum is shown in the accompanying drawings, the color being as nearly true as possible with color photographs of this type.

FIG. 1 shows a plant of the cultivar in full bloom.

FIG. 2 shows the various stages of bloom and foliage of the new cultivar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This new variety of chrysanthemum is of the botanical classification Chrysanthemum morifolium. The observations and measurements were gathered from plants grown out door in Rijsenhout, Holland under natural day length and temperature and planted in week 23 in 2002. The natural blooming date of this crop was September 15-20 (week 38). The average height of the plants was 35 cms. No growth retardants were used. No tests were done on disease or insect resistance or susceptibility. No tests were done on cold or drought tolerance. This new variety produces medium sized blooms with pink ray florets and a salmon center blooming for a period of 5 weeks. From the cultivars known to inventor the most similar existing cultivar in comparison to ‘Athena’ is ‘Cefreya’ (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 10/316,870). When ‘Cefreya’ and ‘Athena’ are being compared the following differences are noticed: The differences of ‘Cefreaya’ and ‘Athena’ are (1) Flower colour. The ray-florets of ‘Cefreya’ are salmon colored, while those of ‘Athena’ are pink. (2) Longitudinal axis of majority of ray-florets. The ray-florets of ‘Cefreya’ show a reflexing to twisted curvature, while those of ‘Athena’ are straight.

The following is a description of the plant and characteristics that distinguish ‘Athena’ as a new and distinct variety.

The color designations are taken from the plant itself. Accordingly, any discrepancies between the color designations and the colors depicted in the photographs are due to photographic tolerances. The color chart used in this description is: The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, edition 1995. TABLE 1 Botanical Description of cultivar ‘Athena’ Bud Size small; cross-section 1 cm, height 0.5 cm Outside Color Yellow-green 148D Involucral bracts 2 rows, length 7 mm, width 3 mm Involucral bracts among disc- Not present florets Involucral bracts color Green 138B Bloom Type Decorative Size Medium Fully Expanded 5 cm Peduncle length 7 cm Peduncle color Green 138C Number of blooms per branch Approx. 9 blooms per branch Performance on the plant 5 weeks Seeds Produced in small quantities, ovate grey-brown 199A, 1½ mm in length. Fragrance Typical chrysanthemum, slightly Color Center of the flower Immature Orange-red 31D Mature Orange-red 31D Color of upper surface of the ray- Red 55C florets Color of the lower surface of the Red 38D ray-florets Tonality from Distance A garden mum with pink flowers and a salmon disc Color of upper surface of ray- Red 55C florets after aging of the plant Ray florets Texture Upper and under side smooth Number 150-170 Cross-section Flat Longitudinal axis of majority Straight Length of corolla tube 0.5 cm Ray-floret margin Entire Ray-floret length 3 cm Ray-floret width 0.8 cm Ratio length/width medium Shape of tip Rounded Disc florets Absent Receptacle shape Domed raised Reproductive Organs Stamen Absent Pollen Not produced Styles Thin Style color Yellow 13A Style Length 3 mm Stigma color Yellow-green 144A Stigma Width 1 mm Ovaries Enclosed in calyx Plant Form A garden mum outdoor mounded and round Growth habit Round and spreading Growth rate Intermediate Height 35 cm Width 40 cm Stem Color Green 138C Stem Strength Weak Stem Brittleness Brittle Stem Anthocyanin Coloration Absent Internode length 2 cm Length of lateral branch From top to bottom 16 cm Lateral branch color Green 138B Lateral branch, attachment Weak Branching (average number of Good with 7-8 breaks after lateral branches) pinching Natural season blooming date September 15-20 Foliage Leaf color Upper side Green 137A Under side Green 137D Color midvein Upper side Yellow-green 148D Under side Yellow-green 147D Size Small; length 4 cm, width 3 cm Quantity (number per lateral 20 branch) Shape Cordiform Texture upper side Glabrous Texture under side Pubescent Venation arrangement Palmate Shape of the margin Serrated Shape of Base of Sinus Between Rounded Lateral Lobes Margin of Sinus Between Lateral Diverging Lobes Shape of Base Obtuse Apex Mucronate Petiole length 1 cm Petiole color Yellow-green 148D

TABLE 2 Differences with the comparison variety ‘Athena’ ‘Cefreya’ Color ray-florets Red 55C Red 37B Longitudinal axis of ray-florets Straight Reflexing to twisted 

1. A new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum plant as described and illustrated. 